Hatch construction



April 1, 1941. v w. E. BIKLE 2,236,667

HATCH CONSTRUCTION Filed Dec. 4, 1939 Patented Apr. 1, 1941 HATCH CONSTRUCTION William E. Bikle, Chicago, 11]., assignor to Standard Railway Equipment Manufacturing Company, New Kensington, Pal, a corporation of Delaware Application December 4, 1939, Serial No. 307,393

12 Claims. ,(Cl. l08--5.4)

This invention relates tothe hatch construction of a car roof of the type wherein a roof of metal sheets is supported along two opposite sides of a hatch opening therein by spaced carline members that are rigidly cross-connected by a hatch frame disposed therebetween and extendin through said opening. The principal objects of the present invention are to provide a strong and rigid, simple and economical hatch construction of the above type wherein the hatch frame afiords support for the roof along the edges of the hatch opening between the carline members and to adapt and arrange some of the sheets of said roof to form the hatch opening therein.

The invention consists in the improved hatch construction and in the construction, combinations and arrangements of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawing, which forms part of this specification and wherein like symbols refer to like parts wherever they occur,

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a metal car roof provided on each side of the ridge with a hatch construction embodying my invention,

Fig. 2 is an enlarged vertical section through one of said hatch constructions, the section being taken transversely of said roof on the line 22 in Fig. 1,

Fig. 3 is a vertical section through said hatch construction, the section being taken longitudinally of the roof on the line 3-3 in Fig. 1,

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary perspective view of said roof in the region of said hatch construction; and

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary section, similar to Fig. 2, through one side of a hatch construction of slightly modified form.

The construction illustrated in the accompanying drawing comprises metal side plates l of the 'car, spaced metal frame or carline members 2 whose ends are secured to the respective side plates, one or more rectangular metal hatch frames 3 secured to said carline members and forming rigid cross-connections therebetween, and a roof of metal sheets 4, 5 and 6 supported on said carline members and arranged to provide P f jacent base flanges of the hatch frames.

carlines by continuous edge welds I6. the hatch frame and between the latter and the the parallel sided hatch frames 3 has vertical side walls that extend upwardly above the plane of the roof and terminate in an exterior downwardly opening rim portion 9. Two opposite side walls of the hatch frame are disposed parallel with the spaced carline members 2, extend downwardly, as at In, therebetween and are riveted or otherwise secured flatwise to the opposing faces of the vertical flanges of the respective carline members. The two other opposite side walls of the hatch frame extend across the space between the carline members and terminate in outstanding base flanges II that aredisposed in flush alinement with the top flanges of said carline members.

As shown in the drawing, roof sheets 4 cover the spaces between the carline members from the side plates I to the hatch frames 3 with their opposite side marginal portions seated flatwise on and secured by edge welds l2 to the top flanges of said carline members. At the eaves of the car, the roof sheets 4 are supported on the inwardly and upwardly inclined legs 8 of the side plates I and are turned down and riveted or otherwise rigidly secured to the upstanding inner flanges thereof. The inner margins of the roof sheets 4 seat flatwis'e on and are secured by edge weld l3 to the adjacent base flanges II of the respective hatch frames. The roof sheet 5 covers the space between the carline members from hatch frame to hatch frame with its side margins seated on and secured by edge welds I 4 to the top flanges of said members and with its end margins seated on and secured by edge welds l5 to the ad- The roof sheets 6 span the car from side plate to side plate on opposite sides of the roof sheets 4 and 5 with their eaves end portions supported on the inwardly and upwardly inclined flanges of said 'side plates, and turned around and riveted to the upstanding inner flanges thereof. The full length roof sheets 6 seat on the top flanges of the ca'rline members 2 and are secured to the adjacent side walls of the hatch frames and to the Between side. plates, the margins of the sheets 6 are fnotched to provide seats on the top flanges of the carline members for the side margins of the sheets 4 and 5, the edge welds l2 and I4 serving to secure. the sheets 6 to said flanges and to the sheets 4 and 5.

The modified form of hatch construction shown in Fig. 4 is similar to that shown in Fig. 1,

except that the roof sheet 4 is turned upwardly at the hatch frame 3 to provide an upstanding flange 4a which bears flatwise against the side wall of said hatch frame and is rigidly secured flatwise thereto preferably by means of an edge weld 13a.

By the arrangement described, each hatch frame 3 forms a rigid cross-connection between the spaced carline members 2 and the outstanding base flanges. ll of said frame provide supports for the adjacent margins of the roof sheets 4 and 5 that cover the space between said carline members. The hatch frame may be applied to the car with the carline members and roof sheets 4 and 5 as a separate unit, or said hatch frame may be secured to said carline members after their application to the roof. The roof sheets are adapted and arranged to define the hatch opening 1 in the roof without requiring the entire opening to be cut in a single sheet; and a strong rigid hatch construction .is provided by the welds which secure said roof sheets together and to the carline members and to the hatch frame along the edges of the hatch openmg.

What I claim is:

l. A hatch construction comprising spaced metal frame members, a metal hatch frame interposed between and rigidly secured to said frame members, said hatch frame having the side Walls thereof that extend crosswise of said frame members bent outwardly therebetween, and a metal covering having an opening therein for said hatch frame, said covering being continuously supported around the edges of said opening on said frame members and said outwardly bent side walls of said hatch frame.

2. A hatch construction comprising spaced metal frame members, a metal hatch frame interposed between and rigidly secured flatwise to the opposing side faces of said frame members, said hatch frame having the sides thereof that extend crosswise of said frame members bent outwardly substantially flush with the tops thereof, and a covering of metal sheets grouped around said hatch frame to provide an opening therefor in said covering, said sheets being supported on said frame members and said outwardly bent portions of said hatch frame.

3. A hatch construction comprising spaced metal frame members, a metal hatch frame interposed between and rigidly secured flatwise to the opposing side faces of said frame members, said hatch frame having the lower portions of the sides thereof that extend crosswise of said frame members bent upwardly and outwardly substantially flush with the tops thereof, and a covering of metal sheets grouped around said hatch frame to provide an opening therefor in said covering, said sheets being supported on said frame members and said upwardly and outwardly bent portions of said hatch frame and having their edges that define said opening welded to said hatch frame.

4. A car roof comprising a metal roof having a hatch opening therein, spaced frame members located below said roof along two opposite sides of said hatch opening, and a metal hatch frame interposed between and rigidly connecting said frame members and extending upwardly through said hatch opening, said metal hatch frame having the sides thereof that extend crosswise of said frame members bent outwardly to afford support for said roof along the adjacent edges of the hatch opening therein.

5. A hatch construction for car roofs comprising spaced metal carline members, a metal hatch frame interposed between said carline members and having side walls rigidly secured flatwise to the opposing faces of said carline members, said metal hatch frame having the lower portions of the side walls thereof that extend crosswise of said carline members bent upwardly and outwardly substantially flush with the tops of said carline members, metal roof sheets supported on said carline members and hatch frame arranged to define an opening for said hatch frame.

6. A hatch construction for car roofs comprising spaced metal carline members, a metal hatch frame interposed between and rigidly secured to the opposing faces of said carline members, said metal hatch frame having portions of the side walls thereof that extend crosswise of said carline members bent outwardly substantially flush with the tops of said carline members, and a roof comprising metal roof sheets spanning the space between said carline members and supported thereon and on said flanged portions of said hatch frame, said sheets having the portions thereof that rest on said flanged portions of said hatch frame flanged upwardly and secured flatwise to the adjacent side walls thereof.

7. A hatch construction for car roofs comprising spaced metal carline members, a rectangular metal hatch frame interposed between said carline members and having two opposite side Walls rigidly secured flatwise to the opposing faces of said carline members, said metal hatch frame having the lower portions of its two other opposite side walls flanged upwardly and outwardly substantially flush with the tops of said carline members, and a roof having an opening therein for said hatch frame, said roof including metal roof sheets covering the space between said carline members and supported thereon and on said flanged portions of said hatch frame, and roof sheets supported on said carline members on opposite sides of said first mentioned roof sheets and said hatch frame.

8. A hatch construction for car roofs comprising spaced metal carline members, a rectangular metal hatch frame interposed between said carline members and having two opposite side walls rigidly secured flatwise to the opposing faces of said carline members, said metal hatch frame having the lower portions of its two other opposite side walls flanged upwardly and outwardly substantially flush with the tops of said carline members, and a roof having an opening herein for said hatch frame, said roof including metal roof sheets covering the space between said carline members and supported thereon and on said flanged portions of said hatch frame, and roof sheets supported on said carline members on opposite sides of said first mentioned roof sheets and said hatch frame, said sheets being secured to said carline members and to said hatch frame.

9. A hatch construction for car roofs comprising spaced metal carline members, a rectangular metal hatch frame interposed between said carline members and having two opposite side Walls rigidly secured flatwise to the opposing faces of said carline members, said metal hatch frame having the lower portions of its two other opposite side walls flanged upwardly and outwardly substantially flush with the tops of said carline members, and a roof having an opening therein for said hatch frame, said roof including metal roof sheets covering the space between said carline members and supported thereon and on said and said hatch frame, and welds securing adjacent margins of said first and second mentioned sheets together and to said carline members, said margins of said second mentioned sheets to said hatch frame and the hatch frame supported margins of said first mentioned sheets to said hatch frame.

10. A carline, hatch frame and roof sheet assembly adapted for application as a complete unit to a car roof, said assembly comprising spaced carline members rigidly cross connected by a metal hatch frame interposed therebetween and by metal roof sheets that cover the spaces between said carline members on opposite sides of said hatch frame, the'sides of the hatch frame that extend from carline member to carline member having outturned flanges on a level with the tops of said carline members and the marginal portions of the sheets next to the hatch frame resting on said flanges and having upturned flanges secured to said hatch frame.

11. A carline, hatch frame and roof sheet assembly adapted for application as a complete unit to a car roof, said assembly comprising spaced carline members rigidly cross connected by a metal hatch frame interposed therebetween and by metal roof sheets that cover the spaces between said carline members on opposite sides of said hatch frame, said hatch frame having the sides thereof that extend crosswise of said carline members flanged outwardly beneath the adjacent margins of said roof sheets.

12. A carline, hatch frame and roof sheet assembly adapted for application as a complete unit to a car roof, said assembly comprising spaced carline members rigidly cross connected by a metal hatch frame interposed therebetween, said hatch frame having the portions thereof that extend crosswise of said carline members flanged outwardly beneath the margins of adjacent sheets, and metal roof sheets that cover the space between said carline members on opposite sides of said hatch frame, and are supported on said carline members and the flanged portions of said hatch frame and are rigidly secured to said carline members and hatch frame.

WILLIAM E. BIKLE. 

